Children, mother and father time management and perception of stress: families in a rush

Elsa Fontainha, ISEG - Technical University of Lisbon

The aim of the research is to study the effects of family environment on individual stress. Special attention is given to two-parent families with at least one child aged under 15, divided into two groups (until 6; between 6 and 14). Using Portuguese Time Use Survey data base (5000 households ;10000 individuals), was concluded that: parents inquired never or rarely had time to do whatever they want to do, stress affects more mothers than fathers and affects more the employed mothers than the non-employed mother, mothers’ feeling of lack of time in usually during week end, time pressure in professional life is higher concerning fathers than mothers, children age seems not to have a large effect on fathers’ stress, however is stronger among the mothers of older children. Factors as mothers’ age and fathers less participation in the activities of this children group could be the reason explaining this result.